A Practical Guide to Dating Foreigners

Some people travel for the sole purpose of hooking up with as many foreigners as humanly possible. They usually carry around a "to do" list longer than there are countries in the EU and help contribute to the surprisingly high number of daily page views I get from my post about hostel sex.

While fortunately most of us do not have these aspirations in life, somewhere in between complaining about the couple having hostel sex in the bunk below and figuring out the meaning of life, we too, end up falling for a foreigner. Despite some people telling you that love on the road will only end in heartbreak, there are others who make it work and are happier than any of these previously said people will ever be.

Luckily, I've put together a guide to help you avoid any travel dating dilemmas. Whether it's long term or a brief fling, this guide should help you figure out your foreign love interest.

A Practical Guide to Dating Foreigners:

The Canadian 

If you've dated people from a number of different countries, chances are, it's hard to remember the Canadian. While they will probably be the friendliest people you'll ever meet, they also tend to be pretty average. Not that average is a bad thing, since you'll never have to suffer a black eye from a toaster being hurled at you, but at the same time, you may not exactly be the envy of your friends back home. Canadians hate to be confused as Americans, so making this mistake will hinder your chances of dating them. Familiarize yourself with terms like poutine, double double, and Sidney Crosby if you really want to impress them, and remember: hockey is the best sport in the world, not soccer. 

Book review: Bryson's Swiss jokes aren't so funny

Neither Here Nor There is a travel memoir by Bill Bryson about his travels throughout Europe. Bryson, for those who may not be familiar, is the author of multiple non-fiction books, and is well-known for his travel memoirs about Europe, Australia, Great Britain and the US.

Having previously read In a Sunburned Country and thoroughly enjoyed it, I had high hopes for Neither Here Nor There. 

While I did enjoy the first chapter about his journey up to Hammerfest, Norway to see the Northern Lights, I ended up finding the book too predictable after the first few chapters.


The plot for each city goes like this: gets off train, checks into hotel, walks around city centre, [insert cultural jokes here], gets hungry, eats dinner, goes to sleep, and then repeats the same experience in a different city the next day

Having gone to over 20 cities, it gets a bit depressing after awhile. I found it surprising how he never made an effort to meet any locals or other travelers throughout the whole trip, but rather, seem satisfied being in ignorant bliss of his surroundings and passed his time by making jokes, particularly aimed toward the Swiss.

Examples:

Q: What do you call a gathering of boring people in Switzerland?
A: Zurich

How to: Sydney, Australia on $25 a day

Sydney, Australia. A world class city that's home to some of the best beaches in the world, not to mention the Opera House and Nicole Kidman. It's also the first stop for many backpackers to Australia, and sometimes the only stop, for those lured into everything this city has to offer.

Sydney, while renowned for its greatness, it's also notoriously known for being extremely expensive. Therefore, I decided to choose Sydney to be the first city for my "25 Cities for $25" challenge, where I'll provide an itinerary for a city that includes sights, food, nightlife, and accommodations while keeping a total daily budget of...$25.

To put that into perspective, $25 CAD is roughly 18 euros, 16 pounds, 178 SAR, 196 HKD, or 25 USD/AUD. Impossible? Check it out for yourself!

How to avoid additional airport luggage fees

(image from scrapetv.com)

One of the biggest stresses I find about traveling happens before you actually travel - the airplane luggage requirement. Usually, the better the flight deal, the less you're allowed to carry. Being the savvy travelers that we are, that usually means we're left to figure out a way to fit our life into a bag that weights less than 23kg (50 pounds).

I know I've definitely had my share of panicking in line, hoping I'll get the "nice looking" airline assistant who will let me slide by with an extra pound or so in my luggage.

Hopefully none of you have to resort to that! Then again, if you're like me, this post should help you out. Here's some tips below.

How do Travelers Cope with "Real Life"?

(photo from AviationAlberta)

The hardest part I find about traveling is returning home. At first it can be a great feeling seeing friends and family you haven't seen in ages, sleeping on an actual bed, hot showers....but then that dreaded feeling of familiarity starts creeping up, followed by every travelers' worst fear - the restlessness of boredom.

Suddenly, it seems lame that everyone around you grew up in the same place, with the same boring accent. You don't understand why these people seem to favour their dreadful 9-5 job, and find all their daily excitement from materialistic pursuits, such as purchasing a new purse or laptop. After all, wasn't it Thoreau who once said, "It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly"? 

Life as a Hamster

Welcome to France, the country of love, fashion, and....living like a hamster?

I came across this in a magazine today about a hotel in Nantes that allows guests to live like a hamster by sleeping in hay, eating grain and running on a giant metal wheel. Opened in 2009, the owners Frederic Tabary and Yann Falquerho decided to open La Villa Hamster to provide a comfortable place to sleep, in a fun and eccentric way.

The increase in rate from 99 euros in 2009 to 150 euros a night in 2010, must mean that living like a hamster is a dream that many, many people share.

I posted a video below from Reuters. What do you think? Would you like to trade places for a day with your lovable hamster?

Go to Queensland!

Whitsunday Islands, Queensland

Hey guys, I'm sure anyone who has been keeping up with the news have heard about the flood in Queensland, Australia. Having spent over three months in Queensland (particularly in Brisbane), it became almost a second home to me. I've met some amazing people, and experienced some of the best moments of my life while there.

The Ironies of Hostel Sex

(image from sheknows.com)

Chances are, most of you have probably encountered some form of hostel sex while traveling (and although reluctant to admit it, partaken in it as well).

These love-struck travelers usually try to sneak in some passionate sex during the middle of the night when they think everyone else is asleep. However, this usually never goes very well when you factor in the squeaky mattresses, the loud moaning, the perverted guy hoping to see some flashes of ass, and the now traumatized bunkmate sleeping on the top bunk bed…

Learn a New Language in One Year!

As a native English speaker, it can be hard to learn a second language. After all, the highest paid jobs can be obtained by the fluency on this language alone. Not to mention, it is possible to travel the world solemnly on english. So, why learn a new language?
 
Well, my motivation for writing this article came from my interview with xx Airlines last week for a flight attendant position. The competition was pretty intimidating - there were hundreds of people, and only a few open positions. One thing they stressed however, was that preference was given to individuals who speak more than one language. Having put down 3 languages on my application, I qualified for a second interview - beating out many people in the process.

How to Make Friends When Backpacking

Picture this: you've planned an exciting summer abroad backpacking with your best friend. You've been waiting months for this and all of a sudden...he/she bails on you! All of a sudden, your trip doesn't seem so fun anymore. In fact, it's starting to look a bit scary. How will you ever survive your trip to Spain without your friend's superior knowledge of the language?

Top 10 Best Travel Movies

There's nothing like the wonderful world of cinema to inspire us to travel. Below are my picks for the the top 10 best travel movies of all time. Feel free to list any that are not included!

10. The Beach (2010 - Thailand)

While this movie can be a bit cliche amongst travelers, it's hard to compile a list of travel movies without a mention of The Beach. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Guillaume Canet and Tilda Swinton, it tells the story of a young backpacker in Thailand and his discovery of a secret island. For anyone who has been to SE Asia, I'm sure you've seen it a million times.

9. Into the Wild (2007 - USA)

This is an amazing movie about a young man (Emilie Hirsch) and his rejection of the materialism and conventions of everyday life, as he sets off to embark on his journey of reaching Alaska. While this is definitely not a "feel good" movie as it ends off on a depressing note, I feel like this captures our most basic human desire for travel - freedom.

Jet set go!

If you’re like me, you’ve probably caught the travel bug and would like to see the world as much as possible. Not the type of travel that involves going to a city and checking out its top attractions for a few days, before returning home to post your photos on Facebook, but really exploring a place. 

Growing up, I’ve found maps to be the source of many wild fantasies of exotic places, and have always had a desire to travel to places most people back home have never heard of. For me, traveling entails being emerged in a new culture, and at the same time embracing it. Sometimes I feel more at home in a country halfway across the planet, and more closer to someone I’ve met for a day than some of the people I’ve known all my life. 

The most popular reason people give for not traveling is lack of money and time. In this blog, I will be providing tips and resources for travelers and aspiring travelers alike to make traveling more affordable, such as buying plane tickets, accommodations, and working abroad. After all, we live on a beautiful planet, and it would be a shame not to see it all!

In the meantime, get adventurous everyone! :)